The Starfleet Mermaid
by 50of47
Summary: SUMMARY: Voyager makes first contact with a friendly species after the stress of forced labor on Quarra and having to dodge warheads in an alien munitions testing range. There is a very unexpected result for the Captain.


DISCLAIMER: The Voyager Universe: Paramount's. This story idea and its J/C departure from canon: mine. Profit: I wish.

RATING: PG

SUMMARY: Voyager makes first contact with a friendly species after the stress of forced labor on Quarra and having to dodge warheads in an alien munitions testing range. There is a very unexpected result for the Captain.

NOTES: If you would like to read the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale mentioned in this story, click here.

The Starfleet Mermaid

by 50of47

Kathryn Janeway had been troubled for several days now by some instinct continually nagging at her, telling her there was more to Seven's recent behavior than appeared on the surface. _Voyager_ had strayed into an alien munitions testing range, and Seven had been away from her post on several critical occasions. The very idea of the former drone being derelict from duty to spend time in the holodeck set off warning bells. Janeway knew that Seven would heed her reprimand and not repeat the offence, but an "inefficient activity" such as holo-addiction was so out of character for her that the Captain felt compelled to look deeper.

Seven had told her that she was perfecting a new gravimetric array, but Janeway was certain she had been lied to. She still had the padd documenting Seven's holodeck usage and absences from duty. As much as she personally found the idea of prying into her protégé's activities distasteful, the Captain felt obliged to do so. She would investigate this, rather than delegating it to Tuvok. If, as Janeway suspected, there was more to it than willful disobedience, she hoped to preserve at least a modicum of Seven's privacy by handling the matter herself.

She still had the most of the day before she was expected on Arkana, the planet around which the ship was in orbit. For the past several days, Janeway, Chakotay, and various department heads had been involved in a combination of cultural exchange and resupply negotiations. The Arkanians had shown a great interest in Voyager's journey and crew, which Janeway found a little surprising for a culture as technologically advanced as theirs. This had turned out to be one of their most enjoyable first contacts.

That evening, the First Magistrate of Arkana and his senior officials were hosting a state dinner to celebrate the successful conclusion of negotiations. They had promised to entertain their guests after the meal with some of their traditional ceremonial dance forms. Janeway was looking forward to spending several pleasant hours with a friendly species after the recent stress of having encountered Subspace Munitions Range 434 so soon after returning from forced labor on Quarra.

Janeway's thoughts turned back to the padd lying on the desk in front of her. She sighed as she picked it up, disliking what she was about to do, but knowing that the unpleasant task was necessary. With the Delta Quadrant as dangerous as it was, she could not afford to have even a single crewmember distracted by other concerns while on duty. Leaving the Ready Room, she turned the Bridge over to Chakotay and got on the turbolift, directing it to Deck 6 and the holographic laboratory.

Once inside the lab, Janeway punched her command codes into the console to pull up program "Seven Alpha 3," and found that the files had been recently deleted. She entered her level 10 clearance code and several additional commands to run a restore function from security backup recordings made of holodeck activities going back over the past several weeks. Tuvok had instituted the measure after the Hirogen had commandeered Voyager three years ago. At the time, Janeway had felt the precaution was an invasion of the crew's privacy, but Tuvok's logic had been very persuasive regarding the need for information to supplement internal sensors in case they ever found themselves in similar circumstances again. Only she, Chakotay, and Tuvok had access to the heavily encrypted system, and the Captain had agreed to the restore function, hoping never to have to use it.

The console beeped and the file information came up onto the screen. In addition to the main "Seven Alpha 3" program, there were several subprograms named "Personal Quarters," "Music," "Friendships with the Crew," "Social Activities," "Intimate Relations…" _Wait a minute_, Janeway thought, _Seven was in the holodeck doing __what__ while we were under fire?!_ She checked the length of time spent in each subprogram and noted that "Intimate Relations" had the most hours logged.

Janeway's temples began to throb, and she massaged them for a few moments to stave off the tension headache she could feel getting started. She wondered if maybe she would have been better off delegating this to Tuvok after all. She hadn't liked the idea of snooping into Seven's personal life to begin with, and she was liking it less and less by the minute.

She pulled up the holodeck reservation schedule, and found that both were in use. Janeway noted that Naomi Wildman was running a simulation in holodeck 2 that was due to finish in 8 minutes, and that there was a block of three hours free immediately following. She instructed the computer to reserve the entire slot under her authorization, closed the security files, and left the lab.

She reached the holodeck and smiled when she saw which program was active. Naomi was running one of Ariel's Undersea Adventures. The series of 147 Undersea Adventures holoprograms was as popular as the Flotter and Trevis stories, and had made its creators rich many times over. Janeway entered the holoprogram and found an inconspicuous place from which to watch Naomi enjoying herself while the remaining few minutes of the program played out.

When the hologrid reappeared, Naomi immediately spotted the Captain and snapped to attention. Janeway had to suppress a smile as she said, "At ease, Crewman. Isn't the Captain's Assistant supposed to be doing her homework right now?"

"I am. Commander Chakotay gave me a lesson on folk legends and fairy tales today. He asked me to pick one and write a report, so I picked my favorite Ariel story."

"Do you know the original Little Mermaid fairy tale, Naomi?" The child shook her head. "You might want to look it up before you write your report. That mermaid didn't have a name. It's a very sad story, but it has some spiritual ideas that you're grownup enough now to understand." Naomi stood even taller at hearing the Captain's words. "The Commander can explain them to you at your next lesson. You'll find the story in the database under Hans Christian Andersen."

"I'll be sure to look, Captain. Thank you for the help."

"My pleasure." Janeway smiled and said, "Dismissed."

Naomi flashed her a grin and scampered out of the holodeck. Once the doors had closed behind the child, Janeway sighed as she turned back to the task at hand.

"Computer, engage privacy lock and transfer the "Seven Alpha 3" program from the Holographic Laboratory computer to Holodeck 2." She then tapped her combadge.

"Janeway to Chakotay."

"Chakotay here, Captain."

"I'll be tied up with a special project for the next few hours, so I need you to cover the Bridge while I'm busy. Don't com me unless it's an emergency."

"Understood."

"Janeway out."

She walked over to the LCARS panel to the right of the holodeck doors and pulled up "Seven Alpha 3" on the security backup directory once again. She scrolled through the various subprograms until the words "Baby Shower" jumped out at her. Seven had been conspicuously absent from that gathering, even after having been personally reminded by her Captain earlier that day to attend. It was as a good a place to start as any.

"Computer, create avatars for all characters in the "Seven Alpha 3" security recordings. Make them unaware of my presence, and run subprogram 'Baby Shower.'"

The computer beeped and the holographic Mess Hall sprang up around Janeway. It was populated with simulations of _Voyager_ crewmembers, but Janeway had no cause for alarm, since she had given the Doctor limited permission to create holograms of the crew for the purpose of Seven's social lessons. She noticed immediately that Seven had no implants, wore her hair loose, and was dressed in casual attire rather than her dermaplastic catsuit.

Janeway chuckled along with the rest of the holographic crew at Harry's gift of Starfleet-issue diapers, and Tom's struggle with the pleenok Tuvok had given for the baby. She followed Seven's discussion with holo-Janeway about getting a uniform and her own quarters with interest, and made a mental note to keep it in mind for future reference. She continued to watch and marveled at the grace with which Seven gave a lovely toast for the baby. She checked the time index for the simulation and found that it was for the evening prior to the actual shower. _It's a shame she didn't feel practiced enough to try this for real_, Janeway thought. _It would have been a big step forward for her._

She decided to forge ahead with another of the more innocuous subcategories before tackling the one she felt would be most problematic. "Computer, run 'Music' subprogram," Janeway said, "same parameters." The computer beeped, and obliged by morphing the scene into a shadowed room lit only by candlelight and a crackling fireplace. She could see snow falling outside the diamond-paned leaded glass windows. Bookcases lined the wall behind the grand piano at which Seven was seated. It was a room that could easily have appeared in one of Janeway's Victorian holonovels.

Seven was practicing Chopin's Opus 72, No. 1 Nocturne in E Minor with the help of a metronome. _Not bad,_ thought Janeway. _Looks like the Doctor's been giving her music lessons, too. I suppose that's something else to look forward to, along with the requests for a uniform and quarters. _

"Computer, halt program," Janeway called out. She glanced down at her padd and saw there was a time index correlation later on in the "Music" subprogram with one of the times Seven had been discovered away from her post. Janeway dismissed it as stolen moments for additional practice that had been interrupted by Chakotay's com call from the Bridge asking for sensor calibrations. Had they not been in the middle of a crisis, it probably would have escaped notice and passed as a few minutes' break.

The only two remaining points of correlation for dereliction from duty during the crisis were under the "Intimate Relations" subprogram. Janeway gritted her teeth and continued on, determined to get this over with.

"Computer, show control panel."

The computer beeped and the holographic wall faded out in front of the LCARS panel Janeway had accessed earlier. She walked over and entered the time index for a file named "Inaugural Dinner" that covered a period of roughly seven and a half hours. It had overlapped the beginning of Seven's duty shift in Astrometrics by nearly an hour. Janeway remembered Chakotay mentioning Seven's lateness later that day, saying that she had seemed out of sorts but had not reported problems regenerating. Janeway reminded herself uneasily that there was no need to watch the entire recording. She could just reset the time index to random points in that block of time to spot check after she had a clear idea of the cause of the distraction.

_It was probably nothing more than a dinner party with friends_, Janeway thought, _although I can't think of anyone else besides me, Naomi or possibly Tuvok that Seven might feel comfortable spending off-duty time with. She probably just fell asleep afterwards on the couch from nervous exhaustion, if it was anything like the first time I entertained._

"Computer, run "Inaugural Dinner."

The simulation morphed into what was clearly Seven's "quarters." Janeway noted the semi-abstract painting of a multispectral starchart on the dining area bulkhead. She turned and saw a framed picture of Seven's parents on a nearby table, and several tasteful sculptural vases containing creamy white flowers set in various places around the room. The dreamcatcher hanging over the bed gave Janeway a moment's pause.

The Seven avatar appeared. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she wore a low-cut red dress that left little to the imagination regarding her "attributes." Janeway watched as Seven checked her appearance in a mirror and called out "Enter" when the door chimed. Janeway turned to see who the arriving dinner guests might be, and was surprised to see Chakotay walk through the door, carrying a bottle of wine.

Janeway noticed holo-Chakotay's almost predatory interest in Seven, and kept hoping that more visitors would arrive, especially after the eager look he gave her when Seven told him that dessert would be a surprise. She looked on in disbelief as Seven slowly licked sauce off Chakotay's finger, evidently unaware of exactly how suggestive that action was. Janeway felt dismayed as the hologram stared blatantly down the front of Seven's dress when she was demonstrating how she wanted her vegetables chopped. A lame comment about how beautiful Seven was when she was chopping made Janeway wince. She had seen how Chakotay behaved with women he was attracted to, and this was a man that she didn't recognize. Janeway remembered her adjustments to Michael Sullivan's program, and wondered if Seven had used bad holonovels as a template for tweaking the Chakotay simulation into one she would feel comfortable with.

This is a date, Janeway thought in horror, not a dinner party. She wanted nothing more than to end the simulation then and there. However, she felt she needed to know exactly what had occupied Seven in the holodeck for seven and a half hours, although she could easily hazard a guess from what she was seeing. Janeway felt nauseous as she watched Seven caress Chakotay's face and then move in to kiss him.

"Computer, freeze program," she called out, turning her back on the scene before her. "Advance time index by seven hours." _That should confirm what I think happened, and thank God, it will probably be long over by then_, she thought. Janeway steeled herself as the "Inaugural Dinner" simulation started to morph around her. She let out the breath she had been holding when she saw Seven asleep on the couch in holo-Chakotay's arms, both of them still fully clothed. She heard the real Chakotay summon Seven to Astrometrics, and watched as the hologram tried to keep her on the couch with him. Janeway was gratified to see that Seven retained enough sense of duty to refuse his entreaties.

She glanced at the time index for the remaining infraction she needed to check under "Intimate Relations" and noted that it had taken place roughly 20 minutes after she had given Seven her dressing-down in the Ready Room. The former drone should have been back at her post by then. Janeway was furious at having had her reprimand so quickly disregarded, even though the padd indicated that Seven had spent less than five minutes in the simulation. Janeway advanced the time index to that point in the recording and instructed the computer to run the simulation.

The Captain fumed as holo-Chakotay arrived, carrying flowers and a covered dinner tray. She began to calm down as she realized that this particular infraction consisted of Seven trying to end her "relationship" with holo-Chakotay because it interfered with her duties. She watched the conversation escalate into an argument, and saw with growing horror how Seven became ill and commed Sickbay just before she collapsed. When Janeway heard the Doctor tell holo-Chakotay that Seven's cortical node was shutting down, she was appalled. This medical crisis had never been reported to either her or Chakotay, and that was an inexcusable and unethical breach of standard protocol. She watched the Seven and EMH avatars vanish as they transported to Sickbay.

"Computer, end playback of holodeck security logs and re-encrypt, authorization Janeway Omega Pi 1-1-0."

Janeway had gone far beyond anger. Watching the security logs with their ethical violations had given her a raging migraine. Something had to be done about the headache for the immediate moment. Since she needed to be at her best for the state dinner on Arkana that evening, a trip to Sickbay for an analgesic was in order. The visit would also present her with an opportunity to give the EMH a royal chewing out, once her head finally stopped throbbing. Some of Seven's misjudgments could be chalked up to ignorance or inexperience, but the Doctor should have known better than to conceal Seven's medical crisis. "Dressing-down" was far too mild a term for the words Janeway had for him.

An hour later, Janeway sat on the couch in the Ready Room with a soothing cup of herbal tea, thinking over the implications of what she had seen. She wondered if Seven would ever be fully human, even with as much guidance as she, the EMH, and the rest of the crew could provide.

Seven's choice of partner with whom to practice "intimate relations" had made Janeway sick at heart, and disturbed her more than she cared to admit. She realized that the former drone was probably the only person on _Voyager_ who was lonelier than she was, even if it was for entirely different reasons. The Captain needed to make her understand that it was wrong to use a hologram of a crewmember for romantic experimentation, but it had to be done in such a way as not to impede her emotional development. At least Michael Sullivan had been a figment of Tom Paris' imagination, with a few selective upgrades from her. Perhaps that was the answer.

The door chimed. Janeway set her tea down and walked over to the railing on the upper level. "Come in," she called out.

"You wished to see me, Captain?"

"Seven, when you never said another word to me about that improved gravimetric array you were designing, I decided to check into it for myself. I uncovered your 'Seven Alpha 3' program."

"That was my program, and I chose to delete it. You had no right to violate my privacy."

"As captain of this ship, I have every right to investigate questionable behavior on the part of my crew, especially when I suspect I've been lied to. I handled this personally instead of Tuvok to safeguard your privacy."

The former drone looked away. She had no answer for that.

"You are to report to Commander Tuvok at 0900 hours tomorrow," Janeway said. "He will explain Starfleet regulations to you regarding the ethics of creating holograms of crew members for romantic purposes without their permission," said Janeway.

"You say you wish to safeguard my privacy, but you have been discussing my personal business with…"

"Stow it, Seven," said Janeway, cutting her off. "I advised Tuvok of the situation without giving him precise details. All I told him was that you had created a hologram of a crew member so you could experiment with romance, and that you needed to be made aware of Starfleet regulations regarding that practice."

"I am not a member of Starfleet."

"No, Seven, you're not. Neither are the Maquis, but by common agreement, we all follow Starfleet rules."

"You gave the Doctor permission to recreate the crew for my social lessons."

"Limited permission, Seven, and I gave it only to him, and most certainly not for romantic scenarios," said Janeway. "I can't tolerate this kind of behavior, if for no other reason than it would encourage a breakdown of discipline on this ship. Surely you can understand that."

Seven gave Janeway a curt nod. The Captain decided to take a different tack. Her face softened.

"Seven, there's nothing wrong with wanting to pursue your curiosity about romance. I saw you in Unimatrix Zero, and unless I'm very mistaken, there was more than friendship between you and Axum."

Seven looked away.

"Why not recreate that for yourself?" Janeway asked. "It's something you seemed very comfortable with, and Starfleet regulations wouldn't apply. You'd be free to explore your emotions in a familiar setting."

"I will not be wasting my time in the future with such unproductive, irrelevant activities."

"Don't be so quick to dismiss the idea, Seven. Unimatrix Zero was an important part of your life. I certainly noticed its influence in one of your simulations."

"Captain?" Seven looked at her, puzzled.

"The baby shower, Seven. You were very relaxed and sociable, and gave a lovely toast for B'Elanna's baby. The only other time I saw you demonstrate that kind of social ease was in Unimatrix Zero. If I hadn't gone there with you, I never would've made the connection."

Seven was silent for a long moment, and then said, "I will consider your suggestion." She turned to leave the Ready Room.

"One last thing, Seven," said Janeway. She paused for a moment to choose her words carefully. "I saw the part of the program where your cortical node began to shut down. Why was it never reported?"

Seven stiffened. "I asked the Doctor for confidentiality," she said, over her shoulder. "Icheb remained in Astrometrics while I was in Sickbay, and my condition was quickly resolved."

"I have no problem with doctor-patient confidentiality, Seven, but any illness, however brief, should have been reported to Commander Chakotay so he could insure that your post was covered. I've reprimanded the Doctor for not following protocol, and I just wanted to make it clear to you that using Icheb the way you did was dishonest. Even though it was unintentional, you made him an accessory to your being away from your post without permission. It's not fair to him. I know you went to the holodeck to correct a mistake, but in the future, I'd appreciate it if you would follow proper procedure a little more closely."

Seven turned back to face Janeway. She looked deeply embarrassed at having been so thoroughly caught in a web of deceit, and said simply, "I will comply."

"Good. I'll see you on the planet tonight with the rest of the senior staff. You're dismissed."

As the doors to the Ready Room closed, Janeway sighed with relief. Her headache hadn't returned, and her conversation with Seven had been less of a trial than she had expected.

Dinner on Arkana turned out to be a splendid affair. First Magistrate Deran and his two wives were gracious far beyond the crew's expectations. Voyager had hosted a similar evening for the Arkanians a few days earlier as part of the cultural exchange. The Magistrate's First Wife, Grala, had taken particular notice of the crew's dietary preferences at that time, and had instructed her chef to prepare Arkanian dishes that were similar in flavor and texture, in addition to the wide range of their own highly-flavored native delicacies.

By a happy coincidence, _Voyager_ had arrived at Arkana during the height of its harvest season. Upon entering the the First Magistrate's ceremonial hall, the crew encountered long buffet tables that had been set up on either side of the door. The tables held an abundance of native fruits and vegetables for the crew to sample, as well as many types of Arkanian fowl and sea creatures prepared with a wide variety of spices and sauces. Neelix was almost speechless with delight. His hosts had provided him with recipes for every dish served at the state dinner to add to those he'd already collected earlier in the cultural exchange.

The ceremonial hall was festively decorated in the varying golds, reds, and bronzes of the Arkanian harvest, in addition to the usual banners and tapestries depicting scenes from Arkanian history and culture that hung there during regular state occasions. Tall, open French doors along three of the four walls let in mild evening breezes that carried the quiet sounds of nocturnal chirping insects and pleasant scents from the surrounding gardens inside to the assembled guests.

The _Voyager_ crew was seated at tables around the hall's perimeter with everyone facing in toward the center of the space, where the evening's entertainment would take place. Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, and Neelix sat at the head table opposite the hall's entranceway with First Magistrate Deran, his two wives and senior Arkanian governmental officials.

About a half-hour into the meal, Chakotay turned to Janeway and asked, "Enjoying yourself, Captain?" He chuckled and leaned over to say quietly into her ear, "I can't remember the last time I've seen you put away this much food."

"I can't remember a first contact we've made where I've enjoyed the native cuisine this much, Commander." She lowered her voice to whisper in Chakotay's ear. "If Neelix so much as thinks about adding leola root to any of those Arkanian recipes he's collected, I'll have him degaussing the hull with his tongue for the next five years." At her First Officer's guffaw, she asked, "You think I'm kidding?" They both looked at each other and smirked.

First Magistrate Deran and his First Wife Grala looked across at each other and smiled from where they were seated on either side of Voyager's command team. Voyager's crew, and its Captain especially, had seemed in need of a respite from their usual routine.

First Wife Grala leaned over to Janeway and said, "Kathryn, my husband and I are most gratified that you and your crew are enjoying yourselves."

"Making new friends could not have come at a better time for us, Grala," Janeway replied. "Nearly all of my crew, including myself, were abducted recently and forced into labor on Quarra. No sooner had we returned to our ship and gotten underway again than we found ourselves in the middle of a munitions testing range. Meeting the Arkanian people so soon after all that excitement has reminded us that we are explorers, and that there are many wonderful things waiting to be discovered along our journey home."

Magistrate Deran beamed at Janeway's words, and said, "Captain Janeway, the pleasure is ours. And as far as the Quarran labor impressment ships are concerned, they are known to us, though they rarely come out this far from their system. We have found methods of detecting their subspace mines. My engineers will give your B'Elanna Torres the specifications."

"Husband," said Grala softly as she motioned toward the entranceway to the hall.

"Ah, yes, I see, Grala." The First Magistrate turned to Janeway and said, "Captain, the evening's entertainment is about to begin. We will serve dessert afterwards."

"Thank you, First Magistrate." Janeway turned her attention to the approaching dancers, with their bejeweled and feathered headdresses and glittering, colorfully embroidered costumes. Ribbons and veils in same warm harvest colors as the decorations in the ceremonial hall flowed from shoulders, sleeves, and wrists. The Captain watched as two dozen dancers took their places on the intricately patterned tilework floor in the center of the room.

_Voyager's_ crew, Janeway especially, spent the next 45 minutes transfixed by the intricate arm movements and formal steps of the dancers. The Captain remembered pictures of court dances at Versailles that she had seen as a little girl when she was just starting her ballet studies. The sound of the accompanying stringed and wind instruments combined with the tinkle of small hand cymbals used by the dancers fired Janeway's imagination, making her feel as though she had somehow been transported back though time to that era. She had never expected to see an alien ritual this beautiful that also evoked memories and emotions that felt so profoundly familiar. At the end of the performance, Janeway stood and led the _Voyager_ crew in a heartfelt ovation for the performers.

The Arkanians were delighted at the crew's response to their traditional harvest ceremonial dance. The First Magistrate said to Janeway, "You do us honor with your enjoyment of our harvest traditions."

"The honor is ours, First Magistrate. I felt as if I was carried back to an era in Earth's distant past when similar entertainments were also given. I've only seen pictures of them, but your dancers made me experience what it must have been like to be present at one of those performances."

"I see that you have an appreciation of tradition, Kathryn" said First Wife Grala. "I think then that you will enjoy the special dessert we have prepared for you as well." She signaled toward the entranceway, where servers waited with trays containing bowls filled with a custard-like substance. The lead server approached the head table and set one of the bowls in front of Janeway. He filled a spoon with iridescent crystals from a silver urn and sprinkled them over the creamy surface of the dessert. It began to change color and glow in bluish and rainbow colors. The glow rose up into a domed shape over the inside of the bowl, and as Janeway watched, the surface of the custard began to caramelize and crackle into a chocolaty brown crust. When the process was finished, the glow disappeared.

"Captain," said Tuvok, prepared to sound a note of caution.

"Tuvok, the Doctor cleared everything on this planet as safe for human consumption. I'm sure there's no need for concern."

"Your Captain is quite correct, Mr. Tuvok," said First Wife Grala. "The crystals are nothing more than a naturally-occurring mineral that has kinesthetic properties. We use it to enhance the taste and appearance of the dish."

Janeway, meanwhile, had broken off a piece of the caramelized crust and tasted it. "This is wonderful," she said. "Chakotay, you have to try this."

First Wife Grala nodded to the servers, and Janeway watched as the ritual was repeated at the other tables. "Husband," First Wife Grala said, "tell the tradition behind this dish."

"As you have seen, Captain, we are a very technological society, but we value our traditions highly as a way of remembering what it is to be Arkanian. Technology is but a tool that we consider worthless if it interferes with the high regard with which we treat one another and other living beings.

"Back in our Ancient Days, this ceremonial dish, known as 'topa-topai', was only given to young Arkanians who had reached their coming-of-age, or to adults who had reached a time of transition in their lives. Legend has it that the one who consumed it for the first time would find their direction for the future, and those who repeated the ritual in days of transition would be shown what was most important to them at that point in their lives.

"Over the years, as our culture grew more advanced, we came to enjoy 'topa-topai' for its celebratory nature and natural calming effect. We always include it in our harvest festival as a reminder to take time to remember what is most important to us, lest we forget what it means to be Arkanian."

"There are various rituals to encourage reflection among different groups on Earth," said Chakotay, "and we've seen it in other cultures we've encountered on our journey as well. It is never wise to ignore the lessons of tradition."

The Arkanians nodded, pleased by his understanding. Conversations about various rituals and ceremonies continued around the table until the hour grew late and the dinner began to break up. Janeway and her senior staff bid the First Magistrate, his wives, and the other Arkanian officials good night, and walked to the transport site set aside for _Voyager's_ crew.

"I'd say that went well," said Neelix. "They're a fascinating culture."

"Agreed," said Tuvok, who noticed Janeway rubbing her temples. "Captain, are you ill?"

"Just a slight headache, Tuvok," she said. "It's been a long day, and I'm a little tired. A good night's sleep, and I'll be fine."

They reached the transport site, and Chakotay called for the beamout.

Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, and Neelix materialized in Transporter Room 2. As Janeway stepped off the transporter pad, she staggered, clutching her head to try to stave off the sudden dizziness she felt. Chakotay and Tuvok rushed to her side to steady her while Neelix ordered the ensign on duty behind the console to transport them all to Sickbay immediately.

The EMH was activated when the group materialized in Main Sickbay. He began to scan the Captain as the others got her up and settled onto the surgical biobed.

"The closest diagnosis for what's affected the Captain is 'mild allergic reaction,'" said the EMH. He loaded a hypospray and injected Janeway with an agent to counter the dizziness.

"But you cleared everything on the menu, Doctor. How is this possible?" Chakotay asked.

"Commander, the crystals," said Neelix. "We didn't know they would be part of the dessert." He produced a small vial of the iridescent mineral. "I asked one of the servers for a sample to see if I could recreate the dessert back on _Voyager_."

The Doctor scanned the crystals and said, "Yes, this could have produced a reaction, but in the Captain's case, fatigue and possible lingering effects from the migraine she had me treat earlier today could be contributing factors as well." He turned to Janeway and said, "Captain, I'm keeping you in Sickbay overnight, and if you are asymptomatic by the middle of Alpha shift tomorrow, I will allow you to return to duty."

Janeway sat up, dismayed at the thought of having to spend the night in Sickbay. "Doctor, I would like to return to my quarters. I was tired, and it caught up with me, that's all. A good night's sleep in my own bed will clear everything up."

"That may be," answered the EMH, "but I would still like to keep you under observation. If you were to get up in the middle of the night and have another attack of vertigo…"

"I think I have a solution, Doctor," said Chakotay. "I'm not on duty until beta shift tomorrow. If the Captain will allow it, I could remain in her quarters overnight. I certainly have enough reports to keep me busy, and that way, someone would be there to keep an eye on her. I would call you immediately if there were any problems."

The EMH looked to the Captain for direction on this, and she nodded. "Very well," said the Doctor. "I want you to wear this monitor, and I will have the Commander check on you every hour. Is that acceptable?"

"Fine," said Janeway. "As long as I get to sleep in my own bed. No offense, Doctor, but these biobeds are hardly built for comfort."

"None taken." He placed the monitor behind her left ear. Chakotay said a few quiet words to Tuvok, and then he and Janeway transported to her quarters.

"I think the Doctor was right about my fatigue, Chakotay, but don't tell him I said so," said Janeway, once they rematerialized. "I'll probably go right out immediately and sleep through the night. I'm wearing the Doctor's monitor, so just make yourself comfortable on the couch and stretch out if you want to take a nap between reports."

At that moment, the door chimed.

"That would be Tuvok, bringing me work from my office," said Chakotay. He went to the door and accepted several padds from Tuvok. After thanking the Vulcan, he returned to where Janeway stood at the viewport, stifling a yawn.

"Go on ahead to bed, Kathryn. I'll get busy with these, and will check on you in about an hour."

Janeway nodded and headed off to her bedroom, where she quickly changed into her nightgown and climbed into bed. She was asleep within moments of laying her head on the pillow.

_Kathryn swam through the radiant blue light of her father's undersea palace, her fish's tail swishing excitedly in anticipation. The day had finally arrived when she would be allowed to rise to the surface of the ocean. Her older mermaid sisters had gone before her, returning with tales of sailing ships and forests, cities and mountains, all of which Kathryn could only imagine. She knew she would be endlessly fascinated by the upper world._

_She swam to her waiting grandmother. "My child," the old woman said, "you are finally of an age to see the world above ours. Come. I must prepare you."_

_Kathryn allowed her long, flowing, auburn-colored hair to be bound into a tight, heavy knot atop her head. Her grandmother ordered four golden oysters to attach themselves to Kathryn's mermaid tail._

_Kathryn whimpered. "But they hurt me so," she said. _

_"Rank comes with heavy responsibility and occasional pain. You must never forget that you are a creature of the sea and belong here below."_

_"Yes, Grandmother," said Kathryn. She knew these preparations must be so if she was to visit the world above, although she didn't quite understand the words about rank and pain._

_"You may stay for one day only this first time," said the grandmother. "Go, my child."_

_The little mermaid rose as lightly as a bubble. Her head broke the surface and she beheld a glorious sunset. The sky was crimson and gold, colors that never reached below to her world of blue and green. The evening star twinkled in the shimmering twilight, and she saw the fishes that flew through the air – birds, her sisters had called them._

_In the distance, a sailing ship lay becalmed on the breezeless sea. Music and laughter resounded across the water. As darkness fell, Kathryn grew emboldened and swam up close to the cabin windows of the great vessel. When the bobbing waves lifted her up, she could see a young prince inside, whose birthday was being joyously celebrated._

_Hundreds of colorful lanterns were ablaze. When the prince emerged on deck, rockets flew up into the air. This startled the little mermaid, who dove beneath the sea. When she plucked up her courage to peep above the waves again, it seemed as if the heavens were raining down stars upon her. Great suns burst above and multi-hued sparkles danced everywhere. All was reflected in the clear, calm sea. It was so bright that everything aboard the ship was visible, from the people on deck down to the smallest rope._

_How handsome the prince was as he made his way from person to person! Kathryn could not take her eyes from him, and joined her sweet singing to the music around her. The prince glanced her way, but she knew that humans could not see or hear mermaids, and continued singing with the sweetest voice in all the underwater realms._

_As the hour grew late, the lanterns were extinguished. The sea grew restless, and dark clouds covered the moon and stars as distant lightning flashed. The ship unfurled its sails to outrun the approaching storm, but to no avail. The sailors labored mightily as the waves rose high as mountains, and the ship struggled to ride them. Finally, with a loud groaning and creaking, the vessel came apart, and everyone was thrown into the tossing waves._

_A flash of lightning revealed the sea to be filled with debris. Kathryn had seen the prince sink into the depths, and rejoiced that he would join her in her undersea home, but then she remembered that human beings were unable to live under the sea. She could not let him drown. She swam among the wreckage, searching, not caring that the beams and planks might crush her. She dove deep and found him, barely alive. Kathryn brought the prince to the surface, keeping his head above water and letting the waves carry them where they would._

_Came the dawn, and not a trace remained of the noble ship. Kathryn saw snowy mountains in the distance, and a beautiful green forest with a large white building near it. She swam into a small inlet with a sandy beach, where she laid the prince on a large flat rock so the sunlight would warm him. She kissed the strange marking on his temple, and his full lips, and stroked his cheeks and wet hair, hoping to wake him. Those beautiful dark, dark eyes opened and looked at her as though in a dream. In that moment, Kathryn lost her heart to him._

_Bells rang, and several young girls came out of the building to walk toward the inlet's beach. Kathryn hid behind some high rocks that jutted from the water to watch what would become of the prince. A girl with eyes of clearest blue and hair of spun gold saw him. She called others, who brought the prince fully back to life again. He smiled graciously upon them, and was led away._

_The little mermaid was sad, for there had been no smile for her. She returned to her home beneath the waves, and though many asked what she had seen, she was silent. At last, she spoke sorrowfully of it, and thus learned from another mermaid who had seen the same festivities where the prince's palace might be found._

_She rose many times to where it stood by the sea, swimming under his balcony at night to gaze up when he thought himself alone in the moonlight. Other times, she saw him sail in a pleasant little boat, and heard many good things spoken of him. She was happy to have saved his life. In time, Kathryn grew very fond of humans, and wished to join them in their world, which seemed so very much bigger and more interesting than her own._

_Kathryn wondered if such marvelous creatures ever died, and went to ask her grandmother, who knew all about the upper world._

_"Oh yes, my dear, they die. They have much shorter lives than we do. Just as we rise to the surface and become foam on the waves when we die, so do they rise to a higher place among the stars, which we will never see, for we have no soul."_

_"Oh, Grandmother," said Kathryn, "I would give all my many years of life to live as a human, so I could know the joy of being among the stars. What must I do to gain a soul?"_

_"There is nothing you can do, my child," she answered. "Only if a man loves you so deeply that he forsakes all others to remain faithfully by your side as husband, can you be among the stars when you die. He would share his soul with you, and thus, you would have a place there. Only then."_

_Kathryn sighed and looked mournfully at her fishes' tail._

_"Come," said the old woman, "let us be happy. Tonight we will have a ball, with many suitors vying for the hand of one as beautiful as you."_

_The little mermaid sat sorrowing in the palace gardens, having stolen away from the ball to sit and mourn for the glorious place among the stars that she would never have. The sound of a bugle reached her ears through the water, and she realized the prince was sailing on the ocean above. Kathryn knew immediately what she had to do._

_She took the road to the sea witch's lair, gliding past swirling whirlpools and bubbling, miry turfmoor. In the sorceress's enchanted forest, trees that were half plant and half animal clutched at her with their slimy arms as she passed. Finally, she arrived at the sea witch's house, which was built from the bones of shipwrecked sailors. The witch sat in front, waiting for her._

_"I know what you want," said she, "you foolish, foolish girl, and you shall have it. You must drink this potion in the upper world before tomorrow sunrise. Your tail will divide into what humans call legs, but every step you take will cause you the greatest pain. All will say you are the most graceful human they have ever seen, but they will never know of your suffering; for you will be unable to weep, and since I must have your sweet, sweet voice as my payment, you will be unable to speak."_

_"But how shall I win the heart of the prince without my voice?" Kathryn asked._

_"Use your beauty, a graceful manner, and your expressive eyes to capture his heart, or there will be no hope for you. Once you become human, you can never live as a mermaid again. And if you do not win the prince's heart, the first morning after he marries another, you will become foam on the crest of the waves."_

_Kathryn trembled, pale as death, but said, "I will do it."_

_She took the potion and swam to the prince's palace, to the place where its marble stairs reached down into the sea. Kathryn drank the potion, and felt as if a sword had cut her tail in two. She swooned from the terrible pain, and so it was done._

_As the days went by, the prince became completely enamored of the little mermaid he had discovered on the marble steps. He praised her beauty and grace, but knew nothing of the terrible pain Kathryn endured with every step, feeling as though she trod upon knives. The prince vowed never to leave her side, and loved her more with each passing day._

_The time had come for the prince to marry, and his parents wished him to meet the neighboring monarch's daughter. No one had seen her in many years, for she had been sent away to a convent as a child to be educated in every royal virtue._

_"I must see her, for my parents desire it," he said to Kathryn. "I cannot love her, for she is not like the maiden in my dreams who saved me from a wrecked ship, and whom you so strongly resemble. If I must choose a bride, I would choose you."_

_Thus, they journeyed to the neighboring kingdom, where the prince's ship sailed into a beautiful harbor. Church bells rang out and the townspeople rejoiced. Festivals and balls followed one after another as the days passed._

_Finally, the princess arrived. She had eyes of clearest blue and hair of spun gold. _

_"It was you who saved my life when I lay dead upon the beach," the prince said as he drew his bride-to-be into his arms. He turned to Kathryn and said, "I know you will rejoice at my happiness, for your devotion to me is sincere."_

_Kathryn's heart broke. She had no voice to tell him it was she who had saved him, and the pain she felt with every step was as nothing next to the pain in her heart, for she could not weep._

_The wedding day arrived, and the happy couple received the bishop's blessing amid great jubilation. Kathryn heard and saw nothing, for she knew what awaited her on the morrow. That evening, she accompanied the bridal couple to their ship, where cannons roared and flags waved, and a tent of gold and purple silk stood on the deck, prepared for the wedding night._

_All was gaiety and laughter until the hour grew late. Fireworks were set off around the vessel, and Kathryn could not help but remember that first night in the world above, when she thought the heavens had rained stars._

_Finally, everyone retired to bed, leaving only Kathryn and the helmsman awake. She leaned on the railing, watching the glorious, starry heavens where she would never have a place. She looked to the east for the first signs of the dawn that would bring her fate, and saw her sisters rise out of the sea, as pale as she was, and shorn of their beautiful long hair._

_"We have given it to the sea witch to save you," they said. "Take this knife and plunge it into the prince's heart. When his warm blood falls upon your feet, they will grow together into a fishes' tail again, and you can return to us. Hurry, or you will die."_

_So the little mermaid stole into the wedding tent as the fair couple slept, the bride's head pillowed upon her husband's breast. Kathryn bent down and kissed the prince's brow, and then raised the knife high above her head. As the first rosy fingers of dawn appeared, the prince murmured his bride's name._

_In that moment, Kathryn knew she could never harm her beloved, even to save herself. She rushed from the tent and flung the knife as far as she could, watching as the waves where it fell turned red as blood. She cast a final lingering glance to where the prince slept and threw herself into the sea. The last thing Kathryn felt was the warmth of the risen sun as she dissolved into cold foam on the crest of the waves. _

Janeway awoke with a start, sobbing inconsolably. She sat up in bed and wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her head on them as she continued to sob. Chakotay rushed in from the other room. When he saw that she was hysterical, he sat down beside her and wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulders, trying to soothe her.

"Kathryn, you need to calm down, or the Doctor will have you and that monitor in Sickbay in about 30 seconds. Tell me what your nightmare was about."

He stroked her hair until her sobs lessened, and when Janeway was finally able to speak, she said, "It wasn't a nightmare, just a very intense dream that felt absolutely real."

"What was it that upset you so much?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Chakotay. I need to sleep or the Doctor will never clear me for duty. I'll tell you tomorrow, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that."

Janeway nodded and laid back down in bed. Chakotay tucked the covers around her with a quiet smile and returned to his work in the other room. She quickly fell back asleep, this time untroubled by strange dreams.

The following afternoon, Janeway was in Holodeck 2, waiting for Chakotay. She had queued specific time index points in Seven's "Inaugural Dinner" subprogram to engage at her command, and had reset the simulation parameters for the characters to ignore Chakotay as well when the program was running. Janeway didn't like having to show Seven's holoprogram to him, but since her First Officer was in charge of ship's personnel and the object of Seven's romantic fantasies, she felt obligated to do so.

The holodeck doors hissed open, and Chakotay entered. "You wanted to show me something, Captain?"

A clearly uncomfortable Janeway answered, "Yes. I'd rather not do this, but you need to know the reason for Seven's dereliction from duty when we were caught in the munitions range. This may spill over into her dealings with you at some point, but I'm not really sure."

"All right," said Chakotay, uneasily.

"Computer, run "Inaugural Dinner" subprogram, segment 1."

The computer beeped, and as Seven's holographic quarters sprang up around them, Janeway stepped away a short distance to be able to observe Chakotay. She saw his eyes widen in surprise at Seven's provocative attire, and saw how he clenched his fists and flushed with anger while he watched the simulation. The segment ended just as Seven moved in to kiss his holographic counterpart. By this time, Chakotay's jaw was as tightly clenched as his fists.

He was so appalled that it was a moment before he could find his voice. "You know, Kathryn," he said in a dangerous tone, "there are still days when I'm sorry I didn't blow her out an airlock with the rest of those drones during the Borg alliance, and today is one of them. What do you intend to do about this?"

"Chakotay, I've already had Tuvok lecture her on Starfleet ethics regarding the unauthorized use of crew members in holographic scenarios, with special emphasis on romantic experimentation. She had deleted the program by the time I checked up on her, but I recovered it from our holodeck security recordings. It can be re-encrypted until the system automatically wipes it, or deleted immediately, whichever you prefer."

"Then delete it. I don't know who the hell that man is, and if Seven created him because she thinks I'm attracted to her, then she needs her head examined. A relationship with someone that emotionally unformed would make me feel like a pedophile. The only kind of woman that interests me is one that knows who she is and what she wants, and knows who I am for that matter, dammit."

Chakotay saw Janeway's visible relief at his words, and realized that deep down, she had been concerned about a possible attraction between him and Seven. Awkward tension filled the air.

Finally, Janeway said, "There's one more segment I need you to see. It makes what I have to say next easier."

"All right."

"Computer, play "Inaugural Dinner," segment 2."

The computer obliged, playing the section showing Seven trying to break off her budding "relationship." It ended with holo-Chakotay's plea, "_Real intimacy_ with another person--nothing's _more_ relevant!"

The words died away as the hologrid reappeared. There was another awkward silence, and then Janeway said, "If Seven with her limited emotional capacity could put duty first when she needed to, then I suppose I could, too."

"Kathryn?"

"That dream that upset me so much last night, Chakotay? I dreamed I loved someone with all of my heart, and was loved in return, but lost my beloved to another. It broke my heart, and I died."

Chakotay was silent, letting her talk.

"I can't do this any more, Chakotay," she said. "I can't continue to act as if all I feel for you is friendship." She fingered the four golden pips on her collar and said, "Rank comes with heavy responsibility and occasional pain, but I should never have used it to distance myself from a man who loved and cherished me, and who once vowed he would always remain by my side. If I learned anything from Quarra and Jaffen, it's that."

She paused for a moment, and then said with difficulty, "I've hurt you so many times over the years that now I'm afraid to ask if it's too late for us. Part of me wanted you to see Seven's holoprogram because I had to know how you felt about her."

Chakotay took all this in. After a few moment's thought, he said, "No matter how many times I've tried to move on, Kathryn, my heart keeps bringing me back to you. So if you want to know if it's too late for us, that's your answer."

"We could never be just friends again, Chakotay. If we do this, it's for the rest of our lives, even though I don't deserve someone as wonderful as you."

For his reply, he took her into his arms and gently kissed away her tears.

Several days later, _Voyager's_ Captain was in her ready room when the bridge put through a message from Arkana. First Wife Grala appeared on the screen of Janeway's desktop monitor.

"My husband tells me that your ship will be leaving in several of your hours, Kathryn."

"Leaving very reluctantly, I must say, Grala. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed meeting new friends this much."

Grala smiled, and then said, "I overheard your Doctor earlier today telling someone that you had a mild allergic reaction to something you ate at the state dinner. My deepest apologies."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Grala. The 'topa-topai' accomplished what Arkanian tradition said it was supposed to. I dreamed of what was most important to me and found a new direction for my life. I wouldn't call that an allergic reaction."

"Then you understand why we value it so. May that new direction carry you safely on your journey home. Farewell, Kathryn, and all the good wishes of the Arkanian people go with you."

The monitor went dark. Janeway walked up the stairs to the viewport, and looked out at the Delta Quadrant spread before her. She thought of the handsome prince who shared his soul with her, that she might live more fully in the glorious, starry heavens.


End file.
